Palestinian-American blogger Amani Khatahtbeh made headlines this week after she refused to accept an award from the cosmetic brand Revlon over having its branding ambassador be actress Gal Gadot, a former Israeli soldier who had publicly supported the 2014 Israeli deadly war against the Palestinian Gaza strip in 2014.
Khatahtbeh is the creator of the website Muslim Girl which highlights women voices from within the Muslim communities that would otherwise go unnoticed or be ignored by mainstream media.
.@muslimgirl's Amani al Khatahtbeh turns down Revlon changemaker award because company has former IDF soldier @GalGadot as brand ambassador.
https://t.co/nutt2wlpsZ— Christine Maguire (@_ChrisMaguire) January 18, 2018
Revlon recently kicked off a new campaign called “Live Boldly” and chose Wonder Woman’s star Gadot as its ambassador to assert the women empowerment narrative. Earlier this week the beauty brand decided to give its Changemaker award to Khatahtbeh for her advocacy efforts for Muslim women.
“I cannot accept this award from Revlon with Gal Gadot as the ambassador,” Amani wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday. “Her vocal support of the Israeli Defense Forces’ actions in Palestine goes against MuslimGirl.com’s morals and values. I can’t, in good conscience, accept this award from the brand and celebrate Gal’s ambassadorship after the IDF imprisoned a 16-year-old girl named Ahed Tamimi last month, an activist who is currently still incarcerated.”
Palestinian girl Tamimi was arrested last month in her West Bank village of Nabi Saleh after she slapped an Israeli soldier in her home’s backyard. A day earlier occupation forces had shot her 15-year-old cousin in the head, causing him permanent brain damage, according to media reports.
While celebrated as a figure of women’s empowerment in the West, Gadot is seen by Muslim and Arab communities as a supporter of such oppression against Tamimi and other Palestinians by Israel.
The founder of MuslimGirl @xoamani has chosen not to accept an honour from the beauty brand when #IDF supporter Gal Gadot is its ambassador https://t.co/JR2bUX9iFz
— LifeNationalUAE (@LifeNationalUAE) January 17, 2018
In a Facebook post in summer 2014 Gadot expressed her support for the 50-day Israeli war on Gaza saying “I send love and prayers to all the girls and boys protecting my country” in reference to Israeli soldiers engaged in the war.
The assault on the blockaded enclave claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people, most of them civilians, while worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis.
Blogger Amani Al-Khatahtbeh has refused to accept the Revlon Changemaker Award because Gal Gadot is the brand's ambassador. Al-Khatahtbeh said: "Her vocal support of the Israeli Defense Forces' actions in Palestine goes against https://t.co/nBYVqjxSGi’s morals and values". pic.twitter.com/aabhxIwMzt
— Sunday Times Style (@TheSTStyle) January 18, 2018
Gadot herself served in the Israeli army for few years before becoming a Hollywood celebrity in the United States. Her widely celebrated movie Wonder Woman was banned in few Middle Eastern countries over her ties and support to the Israeli army, while pro-Palestinian activists called for boycotting the film.
“It means so much to me when @muslimgirl’s work is recognized and elevated in spaces from which we’ve been traditionally excluded,” Khatahtbeh added in her Instagram post. “But that’s what makes it even more important at this moment to elevate and stand up for ALL women and girls. This shouldn’t have to be said, but we can’t accept role models that support the oppression of women and girls in other parts of the world.”
(teleSUR, PC, Social Media)
